Nearly 8 Million Died of Cancer in 2007

The number of cancers and cancer deaths are on the rise. This may be due to an aging population. As life expectancy rises we are seeing an increase of cancer deaths. The American Cancer Society reported 12 million new cases of malignancy diagnosed worldwide in 2007, with 7.6 million people dying from the disease.

The report, Global Cancer Facts & Figures, finds that 5.4 million of those cancers and 2.9 million deaths are in more affluent, developed nations, while 6.7 million new cancer cases and 4.7 million deaths hit people in developing countries.

Worldwide, nearly 15 percent of all cancers can be connected to infections, including liver cancer and cervical cancer. In 2000, 5 million people worldwide died from tobacco use. Of these, about 1.42 million died from cancer, 850,000 from lung cancer alone.

In the 20th century, tobacco use caused about 100 million deaths around the world. In this century, that figure is expected to rise to over 1 billion people. Most of these will occur in developing countries.

Experts believe that certain cancers may be avoided by lifestyle changes including quitting smoking and eating less fat.